Attorney General Neronha co-leads coalition taking further action to enforce court order stopping Trump Administration’s illegal funding freeze

“This Administration is attempting to exert power beyond what the Constitution allows, and by doing so he is signaling that he believes himself to be above the law,” said Attorney General Neronha.

Press release:

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha co-led a coalition of 22 other attorneys general on Friday in filing a second motion for enforcement in their ongoing lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s illegal and destructive freeze of federal funding.

Despite multiple court orders, the administration has continued to block hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to the states from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This funding freeze threatens critical emergency preparedness and recovery programs to address wildfires, floods, cybersecurity threats, and more.

“This Administration is attempting to exert power beyond what the Constitution allows, and by doing so he is signaling that he believes himself to be above the law,” said Attorney General Neronha. “In refusing to fully comply with Judge McConnell’s order, the Administration is holding hostage funds that are critical to the health and safety of Rhode Islanders and Americans everywhere; funds that were lawfully allocated by the Congress to support essential state programs that prevent wildfires, promote cybersecurity, mitigate the effects of natural disasters, and provide emergency management. When the President and his Administration continuously flout court orders, they are testing the boundaries of what they can get away with, and toying with American lives in the process. Enough is enough, and we will stay in this fight until they comply.”

Attorney General Neronha and the coalition sued the administration over the freeze on January 28, and on January 31, the court granted the attorneys general’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the freeze’s implementation until further order from the court. On February 7, the coalition filed motions for enforcement and a preliminary injunction to stop the illegal freeze until the case resolves and preserve federal funding that families, communities, and states rely on. On February 8, the court granted that first motion for enforcement, ordering the administration to immediately comply with the TRO and stop freezing federal funds.

Despite the TRO, Attorney General Neronha and the coalition have found that the administration continues to withhold essential funding, and that states, grantees, and programs are continuing to experience a significant lack of access to funds, putting lives and jobs at risk. The funding that remains frozen includes hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA grants to essential state programs that are responsible for wildfire prevention response, cybersecurity, flood mitigation, and emergency management.

Attorney General Neronha and the coalition’s second motion for enforcement, filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, seeks a court order to require the release of funds if the Trump Administration is unable to provide evidence that they have been unfrozen.

This lawsuit is led by the attorneys general of Rhode Island, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Joining the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.